Bose-Einstein condensates with localized spin-orbit coupling: soliton complexes and spinor dynamics

Abstract

Spin-orbit (SO) coupling can be introduced in a Bose--Einstein condensate (BEC) as a gauge potential acting only in a localized spatial domain. Effect of such a SO "defect" can be understood by transforming the system to the integrable vector model. The properties of the SO-BEC change drastically if the SO defect is accompanied by the Zeeman splitting. In such a non-integrable system, the SO defect qualitatively changes the character of soliton interactions and allows for formation of stable nearly scalar soliton complexes with almost all atoms concentrated in only one dark state. These solitons exist only if the number of particles exceeds a threshold value. We also report on the possibility of transmission and reflection of a soliton upon its scattering on the SO defect. Scattering strongly affects the pseudo-spin polarization and can induce pseudo-spin precession. The scattering can also result in almost complete atomic transfer between the dark states.

8 pages, 5 figures; accepted for Phys. Rev. A

References in corpus (6)

• Ultracold atomic gases in optical lattices: mimicking condensed matter physics and beyond
• Non-Abelian gauge potentials for ultra-cold atoms with degenerate dark states
• Spin-orbit coupled Bose-Einstein condensates
• Bright solitons in spin-orbit-coupled Bose-Einstein condensates
• Quasi-relativistic behavior of cold atoms in light fields
• Bose-Einstein Condensates in Spin-Orbit Coupled Optical Lattices: Flat Bands and Superfluidity

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• Tunable spin-orbit coupled Bose-Einstein condensates in deep optical lattices
• Solitons in inhomogeneous gauge potentials: integrable and nonintegrable dynamics
• Flipping-shuttle oscillations of bright one- and two-dimensional solitons in spin-orbit-coupled Bose-Einstein condensates with Rabi mixing
• Bright soliton dynamics in Spin Orbit-Rabi coupled Bose-Einstein condensates
• Macroscopic random Paschen-Back effect in ultracold atomic gases